Legacy of Jak: The Next Generation
by Alchemic Goddess
Summary: Jak is murdered at the end of the combat racing season by Razor and his daughter, Jaklyn, investages his death when her mother gets killed by a sniper.
1. Death is only the begining

It was a memory I wish we all could forget, the world fifth annual combat racing grand prix of the yellow eco cup was all his with the 10 point lead and a 6.3 second split time we all knew he was going to win. That's what we thought until Razor cheated with a rigged bomb on the bottom of Dad's car. It went off when he passed the finish line. He survived that and took the cup but the end was near.

The paramedics took him to the hospital as fast as they could. He was severely burned and losing a lot of blood quickly. I remember Mom holding his hand as he died a slow and painful death. I remember him asking Mom to finish him off because it was so bad. On his death bed, he gave me an amulet with our family seal on it. He told me that he would give it to me when I turned seventeen but due to the circumstances it wasn't that easy anymore. It was so painful for a little girl to comprehend. I was only five years old when my father died. I just wish I could forget that day. These last ten years have been a real trial for us all. The people of our planet missed him badly because they lost their hero that saved them from the Dark Makers, the metal heads, and two crazy sages and humiliated Mizo five years prier to his death.

I just don't understand what I'm supposed to be like. Everyone expects me to live up to his legacy but I just don't think I can do that. Hell I carry his name! I cant seem to escape it. I just want to be me and end this conspiracy! I know he was murdered but there isn't much I can do about that. I have looked over the case records and its inconclusive. Who would be that sick to take him away from us? I try not to look back and live in the now. This is my legacy. My story to tell. What lies ahead is uncertain but ill tell it as it comes to us in the crusade to figure out what really happened and to unlock the secrets of these powers and new artifacts the precursors don't ever know how to use.

It was the tenth anniversary of his death. We all paid our respects once again. I never thought I would see her so upset since he left us. Nowadays she doesn't even look at me because I take after him more than her. According to Daxter, I'm nearly a clone of him. Even our personalities are the same. I never really knew much about him other than the stories and that warm mile he always had when I was little. What more was to tell? I wish he was here with us now.

As I leave the house, out in reconstructed old town or as its called now Sandover, I go to Gramp's place to retrieve my jetbord which I'm working for modifications on. He was in the same old mood as always, grumpy and sarcastic but that's Grandpa for you. I creep into the lab and he catches me. " You can atleast let me know you're here, Jaklyn. You cant just come and go as you please.. What if you blow something up over here and I didn't know you were here? You would die and it would be your fault," he says. " You were the one that said I could be here anytime I wanted to.." I say. "As long as you let me know you're here," he interrupts. "Don't you think that I've lost my mind because I'm old. I know what I said. Obviously it goes in one ear and out the other one," he says as he tugs on my ear slightly. I roll my eyes and get my board.

I spread out the solar cloth and work on making a solar sail to complement my blue eco combustion drive I put on it to increase the speed. The sail would provide the necessary electricity because power cells were too cumbersome to work with for me. I needed better control with it too so this was a two bird with a rock killing. I have been working on this thing all year for my science project for school. You will not believe how uncreative some people are. The old volcano one, the bottle rockets, and stuff like that is really dumb because they make the same stuff every year. I was in the bag for it this time. Last year the board broke down and well exploded last time in mid air. Note to self: make an emergency failsafe so this doesn't happen and helmets are required.

I worked on that for about an hour and took it with me into Haven to pick up my best buddy, Darren. I put on my helmet and put some goggles Mom gave me and a scarf for my face. Damn it was fast as hell! I ran over a couple of cops on the way. They were out cold because of the shear speed. I forgot to install some good breaks because WHAM! I run strait through his house and landed in his room. Daxter and Tess looked through the gaping hole in the wall. "DAMNIT!! We just fixed that from the last crash landing!" Daxter hollers at me.

"Sorry Dax, still working out the kinks in the breaking system. I'll fix the wall with my new and improved stuff fixer!" I announce. They all star at me as I pull it out and they all scream," NOOOOOO!!" For the first time it really worked and fixed their stuff. They starred in awe. Poor Tess, she fainted. Darren climbs up on to my shoulder and we go to the construction site to have some fun.

"Oh yea! But uh…Jakkie? What if we get caught again? The last time you got arrested," Darren says. "Don't be a chicken shit, Darren, I got it covered," I tell him. I had it all planed plus I have friends with some of the cops. I just hope they are in a good mood today. We slip on our helmets and goggles, I raise the sail, and kick the ignition bar and off we went at speeds toping 50 mph. Darren clung to me for dear life due to the speed and tricks. I swerved around equipment and flipped over some more. I drop the sail and get low on the board as we go threw a huge cuter thing. The sheer adrenaline kept it going. I power jumped over the fence on the way out to find the cops on my ass.

My first thought was, "Oh shit." I head down into the Forbidden Jungle hopping to lose them. I really didn't want to go to juvie for being stupid enough to go out to that construction site again. I kicked it into high gear and ran over a blue eco vent . We were going so fast that I lost control of it. We lost the cops but crashed into Grandpa's house. Well he's pissed.

"Damn you child! Put some breaks on that contraption!," he bellows. "Ugg… Look at this! You have destroyed half my house!" I struggle to stand but I get up. "By the precursors! Lyn! I'm taking that board from you to put some safety modifications on that," Mom says as she walks in to see me covered in blood. From there I was dragged to the hospital. The hospital still gives me the chills even after ten years. I really hate the E.R. The I.V. hurt like a bitch going in. What's worse I had to stay in traction because I turned my collar bone into dust. Darren was okay. He got away with just some stitches and some green eco doses. Lucky dog err rat.

The pain drugs they used on me made my head spin and really gave me vertigo. I really didn't keep lunch down after that. I looked out the window and saw something that scared me half to death, Dad. I assumed that I was seeing shit from the drugs. I just felt so run down from the drugs and motion sick. I fell into a dreamless sleep. I was never known to be a light sleeper but I felt a warm hand stroke my hair and some one say, "Damn it girl, put some breaks on that thing." and a brief laugh. These pain killers are really going to my head.

The next morning, I wake up to the horrible pain and they refused to feed me. I guess I have to endure surgery aft the shit that happened to my collar bone. Well I was right. Thank god they put me to sleep because I don't think anyone wants to feel that. When I woke up in the recovery unit, Mom was there with the board. "I put some breaks on it for when your going at high speeds so you don't end here again. Just kick this down and let the party poppers fly," she says and showing me a smaller lever on the back of the board. "This bar on the sail grip will force you to lose speeds of anything under and at 50 miles per hour. It cuts off the blue eco supply down to just enough to keep you levitating." Why didn't I think of that?

I notice that my arm doesn't hurt and I can move it again. I love modern medicine.

When we get home I grab my back pack and leave. I tell mom I'm going to go shopping but I can't bear to tell her where I'm really going. I go to the place she told me to meet her. Yea I took off to see a girl. I don't know what mom would do or say if she knew I was gay. She was a little late but its okay. She's worth waiting for. She gets here in a tunic dress and some pretty shorts. "Alex, you didn't need to dress up. I didn't," I say. Well I was wearing a tunic with some shorts and combat boots and some weird sleeve things like Yuna from that video game(final fantasy X) . She's so mesmerizing to look at. Why did she pick me I wonder? I guess that's my charm. She takes me by the hand in there. We paid for everything in advance so we were good to go. We sat down and talked a bit. The food was okay.

We later went to her house. We sat on her couch and watched pointless TV. I got up and looked in the mirror and noticed I looked odd with my long hair. It was long and curly. With my tomboy looks it was the only thing beside my chest that defined me as a girl. Pull it back and notice how much I really look like him. I found some scissors and cut I to shoulder length. Mom's going to kill me. Alex walks in to see me cleaning up the mess. She ran her fingers threw my hair. She looked kind of upset. She shook her head and kissed me. "Its cute but your mom is going to flip," she said.

"Ya know, what? I think its time she met you," I said. We put on the helmets and such and went to my house on the new and improved jet board or as I now call it the jet surf. I tried to keep the speeds low for safety stuff. " I don't know how she will react so be cool about it," I tell her. " Hey, Mom! Can I ask you something?"

"Yea, what cha need?" she replies with a smile. "Would you be mad if I was well uh……"

"If you where what?" she says. "Gay," I say.

"Well are you?"

"Well yea and this is Alex, she's my girlfriend of at leas uh a year."

She looked at me with this alien look and ran off and started to cry. I go out there and she her running to the pier. I walk over there hoping to calm her down. She says to me, "What's wrong with you child? Your supposed to like boys and stuff like that and you turn out a gay tomboy or more accurately him!?" I get mad from that point on, " Well if you would just let him go this would all be over. I'm not him! Stop treating me like the worst mistake of your life! Its not your god damned fault! Stop being so self absorbed be a good mother and accept me!" She gets ever madder and quite frankly I get kicked out of the home I grew up in. I took my butt to Darren's. "Hey Tess, mom just kicked me out for a few days? Can I come stay with you guys for a few days?" she looks up at me with a odd look. "Sure, Jakkie. We weren't expecting this so your going to have to sleep on the sofa. What did you do to Kiera to make her so mad as to kick you out anyway?" She replies.

" I came out of the closet and got depressed and mad and said stuff like I was turning into Dad," I said. Tess looked suddenly sad and shook her head. I curled up on the sofa and died. Alex walked home when mom blew up. She didn't want to get in the middle of it. I can understand that. After school the next day I go to see if she's okay and she is sitting there on the deck . I walk over there and suddenly, I hear a bang and she collapsed. I ran to her and she was dead. I run in the house and grab Dad's gun. I go outside but the killer is already gone. I'm not going to stop until I get to the bottom of this shit.


	2. First Steps to The Truth

The cops really had their panties in a bunch when Mom was shot. They found my finger prints on Dad's morph gun and tried to use me as a suspect. They asked me if I hated her looking for motive. The kept questioning me for three hours with out an attorney. I upped and left because I refused to endure this anymore. They tried to stop me but I told them one thing, "You went against protocol and didn't read me my rights and I'm going to see my lawyer."

After a speedy trial and me getting off because well why would I kill my own mother? We might not have agreed but that's besides the point. Plus the ballistics didn't match. I don't think I have access to a sniper rifle. It would be interesting but I don't want one anyway. The one thing that scared the living shit out of me was Torn. We kept slipping him estrogen and now he has boobs. They secrete something white. Don't drink milk. He tried to make us touch 'em. EWW! That's disgusting! He's not even fat. One time we did something similar to Ashlyn but she grew a beard and we stopped. That was gross. We stopped giving him estrogen but they wont go away. They scare me. Not to mention hairy from what I hear……ew.

Sorry about hat people. I just had to share. That image is now stuck in your head huh. Ha ha! I feel sorry for you. Well when we were released the body we gave her a proper funeral but Darren… He did the worst possible. He got up and sang this:

Well, Jakkie's, Mom's a bitch, she's a big fat bitch, she's the biggest bitch in the whole wide world, she's a stupid bitch if there ever was a bitch, she's a bitch to all the boys and girls. Monday she's a bitch, on Tuesday she's a bitch, and Wednesday to Saturday she's a bitch, then on Sunday just to be different she's a super King Kong Mega Mega bitch. Have you ever met my friend Jakkie's Mom, she's the biggest bitch in the whole wide world, she's a mean old bitch and she has stupid hair, she's a bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch, bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch cause-a she's a stupid bitch, Jakkie's Mom's a bitch and she's just a dirty bitch, Jakkie's mom is a bitch-ah.

"Shut your fucking mouth, Darren!" I say and attempt to choke him and notice my arm turn an odd white and grow claws and odd purple electricity came off as it grew up my arm. I drop Darren, and scream as I turn into some kind of monster. I lose control and I lost memory from there. I woke up in chains on my body. What ever happened it wasn't good. I tried to get loose but no avail. Torn or Mr. Booby, came in there and told me my mom's case went cold and what I did was the result of experiments that my dad endured when he came to Haven City.

"But I don't get it? What law did he break to get thrown in jail and turned into a dark eco lab rat?"

"We don't even really know. Maybe he made a mean face at him or something? I really don't know. All I knew was that he and that rat did everything I asked and had some anger issues. Everyone hated when I spilled to save Ashlyn's ass. They ran to the tomb of Mar for something. I don't know what It was but it helped them take down the metal head leader.:

"Interesting. Does anyone know where the tomb is now?"

" I wouldn't go snooping around in there. You'll get killed and that's the last thing I want to explain to the press that the heir of Mar killed her self on a suicidal look around in a dead guy's tomb."

" Sure….."

"Don't you dare go there! Then you all will be dead."

"By the way, when are u getting those removed?"

"When I am good and ready thank you very much!"

He stormed off very pissed with his boobs mumbling something about estrogen. The released with caution. I go home and got Darren. "Sorry about that at the funeral. Just remind me not to piss you off,' he says as he jumps on the board with me as we headed for the forest part of town.

The light tower was down and inactive when we got there. Everything was out of place. I picked up a spinney thingy, a lens, and a crystal thing-a-ma-bob. I put them where they fit and it was all Indiana Jones and pointed it out. Wow how raiders of the lost ark. When we got there my necklace ripped off me and opened the door. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. When we walk in its all musty and we both sneeze from the shear dust. I tread lightly as I walk in. A chill ran up my spine as I step on a rock. It collapsed. No wonder Mr. Booby said not to come here. I keep going in a little further exploring but a part of me tells me to run away and curl up into the fetal position and scream for Mom. I see a giant precursor thing with a stone missing.

"Greetings heir of Mar, please present your seal," it says to me. It freaked me out but I run with it. I present my busted necklace. "It seems the darkness in side you has been awakened. The only way to conquer it and to cleanse your self is to learn the way of green eco. To earn the first piece of your Eco Grid" --It popes open like a locket showing six slots-- " You must considerate on which plant I tell you is tainted with dark eco and not just naturally purple. Do you except the challenge, heir of Mar?"

I take several deep breaths then timidly I reply, "Yes, I-I do." Then the floor collapse beneath me and We fell into a pool of green eco. I get up as it speaks again, "The last head of the house of Mar was killed when he found out of the dark one's return and they're connection to everything else. To fight them, you must master all six forms of eco. The test of green will now begin." Six plants rise out of the eco. "you must listen to the plants to figure it out. This ability comes to you naturally having the blood of the green sage. Listen to them closely."

I breathe deeply then just try to listen. I didn't hear anything at first. Then I started to hear voices as I deepened into concentration. I point to the one screaming , "I'm ill!" The next time it was twelve plants. The last time it was twenty-four.

"I award you with the power of green eco. You have passed. I also award you a staff of power to help you in your quest of the truth of the deaths of your loved ones." My necklace turns green and back to bronze and the staff connects to it and it demonstrates how to use green eco for purification and to heal my self. I put my necklace. "It it's a perpetual generator but be conservative because if you use to much it will cause more harm that good, heir of Mar. Come back when you have mastered green eco."

Then suddenly a wind sweeps me off my feet and I found my self where I started. This one is going to be hard to explain to everyone. Maybe if I use it on torn his boobs will go away. Haha!

A/N: Anything I use for any other show or content inset mine like the Jakkie's mom is a bitch title so there's a disclaimer. I don't own Jak and Daxter or any of the games. Enjoy !

The Alchemic Goddess


	3. New Girl

Looking down at my watch, we both knew we were knee deep in yakcow crap. It was about um… midnight. It was way past our curfew that was about, oh let's see, three hours ago. Well, it could be worse like the time in science when the trash can caught on fire and then the teacher's desk. I thought it was kind of funny because this preppy girl, Anabell, lost all her hair because it caught fire but I pity her at the same time because she was picked on because she couldn't grow long hair. We got the hell out of there as fast as we could on my board.

Getting home was easy. Dealing with Daxter's griping was nerve racking because it sounds repetitive and he never lets us explain. "Where the hell were you? Don't tell me. You went to the one place you were asked NOT to go, Mar's Tomb. Why did you go there? For a thrill huh?" he griped in rapid fire. "Well, we just wanted to check it out. No harm in explor— "I begin to say. "Oh, really. That's what got me turned into this fuzzy form! It is harmful!" he barks. "Oh please. Don't judge us then, you hypocrite. Any way nothing bad happened in there. Well have a look at this precursor crap we found," I say coldly. I really had no right to be annoyed but I was anyway because of his griping but in reality I should be at least happy someone worried about me. Back when mom was alive, she could care less if I died. Hell, she'd love it because all I did was remind her of what she lost. The only thing that pleased her was my absence and my interest in engineering. It's the only thing of her she saw in _his_ daughter.

I lay the staff on the table; Daxter looked at it weird as if it was from another world all together. "Sorry, this crap is about as familiar to me as this one,"—pointing at Darren--, "can become suddenly normal if you know what I'm getting at." He got a closer look at it, he got all wide eyed. "I kind of remember something like this from those coordinates from that rift gate thing-a-ma-bob. It's about as old as dirt but seems renewed. Have ol' green stuff look at it. Maybe he'll know something about it or can redirect you to someone who can," he says sounding disappointed in himself to a point. "Get your asses off to bed. Ya got school tomorrow and I don't want to fight monsters in the morning to get you up," he commands.

We head into Darren's microscopic room and crash. My dreams that night were odd. I was in a large facility of some kind running hand in hand with some beautiful girl with black wavy hair, fair skin, and eyes like emeralds. Her figure was perfect but something was plain uncanny about her as if I had seen her before. The sight of her somehow made my heart sing, like I was born for her yet I don't know who she was. She was wearing a dress of spectacular shades of red and it reminded me every bit of a rose as it bloomed. Her voice was melodic even though it seemed she was terrified. We were running from armed gunmen. They began to shoot at us we hit a dead end. Strangely, I changed into an angelic form, create a force field around us and tell her, "Run Lauren! Run! Don't worry about me! Save yourself!" She embraced me from behind," I'm not leaving you to die. The light will die soon lets run together from these monsters!" she says between sobs. I can't remember much after that but it felt so real and one thing kept popping up in my mind: the word FATE. What did it mean why was it so prominent? I couldn't tell you. To me, it was merely a dream. It wasn't worth much to me at the time.

School was the same as usual. I found it boring until I saw the girl from my dreams. She looked exactly like her. I shrugged to myself. It's just a coincidence, although I wanted to know her somehow. I timidly walk her way, noticing that she was sitting alone. "Hi…uh, I just thought since you were sitting alone here that I'd join ya. That okay with you?" I say trying not to freeze up and run away. She looked up at me softly, "Sure. It's very kind of you. No one else here really noticed me besides my teachers. Do you have Physical Education with Coach Kunai next period?" she says nearly singing. That's what it felt for me at least. I sit down and Darren follows me as usual. "Actually I have him next period. I'm on the mixed martial arts and boxing team so I have him no matter what. You'll like him. He's a funny guy Unlike Mrs. Fillmore, the choir teacher. She has no sense of humor and can't take a joke for crap. One time we set a silly string trap in her office and gave everyone a referral because we all were in on it. Heck the librarian isn't even that bad. We shot a live chicken threw the window, just to see if would make it and she laughed at it but we did get the chicken medical attention. I love animals too much to let it die from flying though glass. I guess you could call me a no good prankster. I'm just a bored child," I say trying not to look nervous. She begins to laugh. It sounds so cute. We continue to eat, chat, and giggle. I don't know much but she really sings to me.

I couldn't help myself in P.E. In the locker room , not trying to , but I notice that she has a perfect figure as she changes from the normal girls uniform into the P.E. one. I began to fantasize about making out with her. I try to stop but it's unbearable. Alex surprisingly showed up to class on time. She hugs me and a quick kiss is exchanged. I'm not sure if she noticed it but I saw her watching us and she seemed upset. We played soccer for most of the period. My team lost but I didn't want to hurt their goalie, that pretty, no scratch that, beautiful new girl. Next, we head on to choir. She had a higher range than me. She was a Soprano and I'm a Mezzo Soprano, right beneath her in range. The theme for this year's recital and contest was exotic songs. We picked one from Spira. It's called "A Thousand Words" composed and written by Yuna Braska. As we sang, she seemed to know it well already, Note for note, lyric for lyric. The bell had rung at the end of the song and the critiquing of how we handled our notes. I suddenly feel as if I couldn't control myself. I run to her. "Hey I noticed you looked sad when you saw Alex walk into the locker room. Just to be clear, do you like me in that sort of way because it's okay? I kind of ………well……..you get the idea," I say. She blushes,"I did? To tell the truth I find you inspirational. I do have a bit of a crush but seeing how you already have someone it wouldn't be right to try to go for you," she says sadly. "Ya know what? I really don't care what Alex has to say because I've heard from my informant that she's cheating on me with a boy of all people. I think she will get the idea here in just a second," I say. Alex does over hear what I said. Naturally I really didn't want to be with her now. Things have just gotten stale with her and this newbie really set me on fire in a good way. I think this was a bit premature and kind of scared the girl but I pull her in close and kiss her in front of everyone. She was red in the face and just seemed to go limp when I pulled that stunt. I let her go as quick as I pulled her in. She collapsed to her knees and just looked up at me confused. Alex came up to me fast. "What was that all about? Calling me a cheater and here you are making a move on someone else in front of everyone you whore!" she says. "How flattering of you to say that. Who's the whore that's giving head to every boy in school? I think I'm looking at her. We've been together for a year and you do this to me! You deserve every bit of pain. Be jealous of me. It just shows that you hate it when you don't get your own way, " I say. My words strike her like ice sickles. She begins to cry. "Go ahead and cry. Its karma. I'm sorry it has to end this way but too bad. You brought this on yourself," I say again. She rises and slaps me. "I'll make you pay for this dearly, you bitch…" she mumbles. I didn't believe her. She was always one that was all talk and no action. Lauren rises and says to me, "Are you really a two faced person or just pretending to be nice to me? For Pete's sake, hurting someone emotionally hurts worse than beating them up. You should be ashamed of yourself. You didn't have to do it that way. What kind of person are you?" she too slapped me. I deserved that one. She walks away and I stand there dumbstruck at what had just done. I ran past her got on my board and jetted away crying. "Damn it! You forgot me!" Darren cried out.

Based on what I was told by Darren this is what happened as I ran away: "Dang…she's gotten worse," he says. Lauran picks him up and he sits on her shoulder. "What do you mean by worse?" she wonders. "Well she's always been a bit angry at the world, her dad died when she was five and her mother turned abusive toward her as she grew up because she looks just like him. Her mom just died and whether she wants to admit it or not, she's hurting on the inside and sees it somewhat her fault. She just doesn't know how to express how she feels like normal people. Her sadness converts to anger. That's why she is on the fighting teams. It helps her vent all that pain. I don't understand what she just did. She's normally really shy. It took a blind date set up by myself to get her to talk to Alex in the first place. I'm not too sure of what's going on in that melon of her's but she's upset I can tell you that much," he explains. "I' don't really know. I hope I didn't upset her worse than she was. That Alex girl has a bad aura around her. I can sense it," she says. "Still, she had no right to do that. Regardless of her personal pain, she should know better." They climbed onto a city transit bus and find some seats fast. She pulled something out of her pocket that had strange writing that we couldn't read. She sets it down and shakes her head. Darren quickly takes the paper and slips into his pocket. She gets off in the racing district and he continues on home.

I hid behind the house while he was on his way. I practiced some boxing on a dummy in the back to vent. "You okay?" he asks. I don't respond. "Anyhow have a look at this. It's from another world from the looks of it," he says as he hands me this piece of paper with unfamiliar writing. "Hmm…It looks important. How about we run over to the library real quick and see what it says," I suggest. "By the way, I'm really sorry about that earlier." We hopped onto the jet surf and headed that way. It took about five minutes to get there. It was about as silent as, scratch that, quieter than a tomb. The librarian was quietly working the checked in materials. Darren runs over to the comic section. He gets so sidetracked easily by super heroes and sometimes hot heroines and violence. I walk over to where she was working as quietly as possible hoping to scare her when she looked up. She is extremely observant of her surroundings because as soon as I got to her desk she looked up. "Hello, Jaklyn. What can I do for you this time?" she asks. I dig around in my pants pocket; yea I wear the boy's uniform, and place the paper on her desk. "Can you tell me what this is or what it says?" I request. She pushes her dainty glasses up and gets wide eyed as she read the script. "This is strange. It sounds like a prophecy of a high summoner of Yevon from Spria. It says a hero from an unknown world, a summoner, and a great and powerful lord will defend the universe and save it from its ultimate fate. They will bring peace, harmony, and tolerance of those that are condemned to be damned and broken hearted. The summoner saves the hero and likewise to save them all with a final summoning of a great angel of ultimate and unlimited powers. Where did you find this?" she says, bewildered. "Darren found it with this new girl that's going to the Academy with us. It fell out of her pocket. That's all I know," I explain. Darren then jumps up onto the table with a ton of comics and his library card. "Don't be late returning this again, Darren. Could you please read something of value for once?" she complains. "Ma'am, its appreciation of good artwork and story lines. Normal books don't have that. You got something against art?" he says. "Fine, you win, but my opinion stands."

We hop back on to the board and head to Sandover with that staff, making a pit stop at the house to get it. It took about an hour for us to get there with all the nerve racking traffic and road rage. I got off the board and walked the rest of the way which took about ten more minutes because I didn't want him mad about the jet surf over what had happened the first time. I was relieved to see his house in one piece again. When we were about to knock he hollers, "What in green tarnation do you two want!"

"To tell the truth, we don't know what this is. Can you give the 411 or do we need to go elsewhere?" I say as I had him the staff. He looks at it closely and shuffles through a ton of papers and scroll on his desk. He fainted when he seen something that matched amongst that mess. Darren spilled some water on him. He didn't get up. "No don't do that. No!!!!!!!!!!" I say as Darren gets that mischievous smile. If he was thinging what I was he was about to beef stew him (fart in his face). He farted so bad I think it knocked Grandpa into a coma. Good god, I thought I was next. "What the hell did you eat?" I ask. "Oh just the norm. Beans, boiled eggs, broccoli…" he sarcastically replied. I look back onto the paper and see it said something like staff of power. The rest of it was in old precursor. I guess I'm going to have to find out what it does for myself. I stuck a note to grandpa's log that said, "Got patience for a student? , Jakkie" . We called the paramedics; he still was out cold. We got the hell out of there because I thought I was going to barf from that sordid smell. Geez, could he be any grosser?

I have found that at this vantage point that knowledge is power. To find that S.O.B. that killed my parents, I'm going to need all the knowledge about eco for some reason as well as what they knew and what it was about that got them killed. I guess its dangerous as well as hope full.


	4. Changeling

Chapter 4: Changeling

Once we got home, I went onto the roof and stared aimlessly into the sky. You never notice how beautiful things in nature are until you slow down and take the time to examine them fully. The moon was a pristine white but not without her flaws such as her cratered face and dark maria. The stars litter the night sky with their elderly light renewing itself every few hundred thousand years or so. One of these years, I'll leave this rock and see a few others. I just want to get away from anything that reminds me of how much I had lost when Dad died those many years ago. The days without my parents make me feel alone because I never really had a father in the majority of my life. Mom never tried to date other men. She was constantly on an emotional roller coaster. She would be happy some days. Other days she would be so depressed and angry she would beat me into the dirt but I took it because I thought that's how she showed her love. When I started New Haven Academy and University I learned the true evils of what she had done to me but I was just happy I wasn't alone. I wonder how things would have been if they bother would be alive today. Maybe I'd be a happier kid. Maybe I might be a different person entirely. I just have to deal with the circumstances as I was dealt them.

I crawl back in Darren's window and head downstairs to grab some much needed food. Tess made some pasta that looked gross at first but was really good. I grab the phone and dial Alex's number hoping to fix things a bit because that was uncalled for earlier. It rings and rings with no answer even though they don't know this number. I try again and no avail. I sigh in disappointment and send her an SMS saying what I needed to say. It was along the lines of,"I'm sorry for that crap but we're still not together and I don't want to see you anymore and leave me alone at school. I want you out of my life permanently." I hide out of the roof again and think to myself why I don't just think before I do stuff like that. I've been rather rash and headstrong lately. That kind of stuff can get you killed.

Suddenly, I see a shadow pass over me quickly. I stand up and get a good look at my surroundings and moved to the left quickly somehow sensing what was coming at me. I look around again, trying to identify my assailant. Whatever it was got me that last time. Something large and blunt hit me on the back of the head, knocking me out quickly. I woke up in some kind of warehouse tied down to a chair. Alex walks in slowly but it wasn't the Alex I know. She looked seductive and dangerous. She was wearing a cloak of some kind and laid out instruments of torture. I was confused and looking for something I could get myself loose with. "It seems that your time has come, love," she says so sweetly but at the same time sadistically. "W-what do you mean? " I reply nervously. She sits on my lap and whispers in my ear,"It's your turn to die… and you will go out the best way possible..You'll beg me for more and to die quicker all together," she seductively says and forces me into a kiss. "Y-you're not Alex are you?" I ask. I wasn't ever this terrified before but I was really scared at that point. "They call me the Harlot. I make people fall in love with me, and then they die. What a sad way to go but so fun to play with people's hearts. I'm not doing this just because I want to; I'm doing it for FATE of the world. FATE is my employer….he had his eye on you since you were born. He took Mommy and Daddy away from you. It's too bad that he wants me to kill you but I want to kill you too. This will be fun for me. Tragic for you," she says so sadistically. I never really believed in God, but I said a prayer just in case because well you will do anything to avoid this. I figured she would do more than rape me and kill me. Skin me alive maybe. Rip my still beating heart from my chest. I didn't know but I knew it would have been bad. I started to cry silently, the first time since Dad died. "Oh don't cry, yet," she says.

She moves me from a chair to the wall where I was chained down so I wouldn't run away or fight her. She pulls my hair down and begins to tear at my clothes when I see a flying ottsel coming to my rescue. It was Daxter strangely. He sprayed her in the face with some bug spray to blind her. Darren got the keys and got me loose. "Hurry before she notices you're gone! Run!" Daxter hollers. I head out the nearest window and they follow as we run though the city to a place in the slums. It was a dead end spot by the city wall and it used to be an Underground safe house. "Whoa...How did you guys find me?" I ask trying to catch my breath. "Well Darren saw that lady run off with ya and we followed. I guess we got there just in time. I don't get it. You haven't pissed anyone off to the point of being lynched or have you?" he replies with some humor. "Not really, but who would want me dead that bad and in that way? She may be having some connection with Dad's killer and maybe Mom's too. Who do you think hated him that much and why wait ten years to kill her? It doesn't add up, and she said something about FATE. You know what that is?"

"Not a clue in the world. We'll tell the cops tomorrow but for right now we need to stay here because she obviously knows where we live so the house clearly isn't safe anymore. By the way, I got a minor's permission license for you to carry this thing around but with it concealed. "-he hands me dad's gun-"Keep it with you at all times and I also got this for you. I knew it was fishy when Keira died and I got this stuff in advance. I just don't want to see you fall to the same fate they did. Never go somewhere alone. That's how they will corner you and we need help at the Ottsel so ya want a job?"

"I'm underage!"

"We'll I want to keep an eye on you. As long as you don't deal out the hard stuff the cops won't care. You and dummy here will be doing it so here something of advice, if a guy buys you a drink, pore it out."

Darren pouts at being called dumb and we crash for the time being. We didn't go to school that day. First thing we did was go to Torn's office. "Okay what is it this time fur ball?" he says sarcastically."Jakkie got attacked last night, Tattooed Boob Wonder! She nearly was raped and murder last night had it not been from quick action from squirt"-pointing at Darren-"and me working fast to save her ass. It was that demented girl friend of hers and she called herself Harlot and mentioned someone or something called FATE being behind her parent's death. What are you going to do about it!" Daxter retorts. Torn leans back in his seat and scratches his melon. "When did this happen?" he asks pulling out a pad of paper. "Well I was sitting on the roof staring at the stars and then something hits me hard on the noggin and next thing I know I've been kidnapped and tied to chare and she tells me she's going to kill me and rape me. Daxter sprays her in the face with bug juice and we got the hell out of there and hid out in the slums for the night," I say.

"And your assailant was your girlfriend?"

"Well it looked like her. She's a hired assassin for crying out loud. I'm too young to die. Do something about it!"

"I'm not sure what we can do about it. Both cases are cold and we have no leads. I'll look into it but I can't promise miracles. In the mean time, if you're anything like your dad, watch your back and don't let it happen again."

I run off to school with Darren and run into that girl again, the one from my dreams. "Oh, hi there. How are you doing?" I say trying to be friendly. "Did you fix things with her?" she asks in a cold tone. "Well I tried. She nearly killed me last night, literally," I tell her. "Well you deserved every bit of it didn't you?" she retorts.

"Okay I was tied to the chair about to be raped and murdered. You think I deserve that!" I say getting angry.

"No…I thought you meant it figuratively. Geez what kind of person do you think I am? Don't be so rash."

"Sorry…but that thing you lost. Are you looking for the people in that prophecy?"

"What?!Where did you find it?"

"Darren found it on the bus and we had it translated at the library the other day."

"Well, I am because the threat is rising if what you say is true. Yuna, my teacher, showed me her prophecy in a sphere and I was the summoner, someone that looked like you was the warrior, and a pretty orange haired guy was with us and we brought down the threat and somehow I fell for the person that looked like you but you're just a plain jerk. It couldn't be you!"

"I'll have you know that I might act rash sometimes but I'm not the brute you think I am. If you just got to know me then things might be different. You just don't like me for what happened the other day and judged by character before you even tried to know me. Sure I have a bad reputation but that doesn't mean I'm a bad person. Why do you hate me so? What did I do to you to make you hate me? I was going to leave her alright but the fact of the matter I saw I was being a self absorbed ass and I'm trying to correct my ways but you have no idea what I've been though to see why I'm the way I am. My mom hated me and wanted me dead because of Dad being dead! You tell me what that feels like and then be constantly hurt at school for being boyish and different in just about every way. I don't even have one natural hair color! You tell me that being mad and stuff like that is wrong. How am I supposed to be like after all that? Cheery and happy-go-lucky! I think not!"

"Jeez, Jakkie calm yourself down. You're just being an ass again. Show her you can be good and maybe she will see you like that but all you have done so far is tell her look at me I'm an ass and I'm just not fixable because of a bad childhood. Seriously prove it to her," Darren says to me. He's like my conscious sometimes. I needed that then. I really needed to get my head out of my ass about then.

"Sorry…" I mumbled.

"You know one good thing came of that…" she said as she approached me ever so slowly.

"You're a great kisser…" she whispers in my ear making me nervous as ever. She kisses me so sudden ly and runs off to class as the bell rang. I just stood there for a second until Darren chunked a rock at me and we got to class. That kiss was so unexpected but it felt good in a weird way all at the same time. I didn't know what to do with myself. My head was spinning until we got released from school. She was still looking for a couple of band members for her band. I tried out with Darren. He is freaking amazing with that drum set. He could play with one arm and still be awesome. Me? I played "Through the Fires and Flames on my Gibson SG limited edition signed Aerosmith electric guitar. She liked it and the other guys left after they saw how good I was. I don't like to brag but I can play piano too…I get bored and have to find something to do. I won my guitar in a contest. We got the spots and Lauran took me off to this part of town I never went into, the forest part. She brought me to this spot where there was a large telescope. "Intriguing is it not?" she says to me with the kindest smile I've seen. "Yea…"

We stay there talking for hours about everything from favorite color to how pretty flowers are in the right lighting. I feel as if I'm falling for her but it's too early to tell. She falls asleep on my chest. It's so cute but I can tell she's falling for me too. I wake her up and we both hurry home. Before she went into her house she frenchs me of all things. She's not a bad as a kisser either. I think my heart skipped a beat when she did that.

I ran over to the Naughty Ottsel and try to explain why I never came home, got griped at, and got to work. Darren was working as fast as he could and I saw someone put this purple stuff in his tea. I swear that's the only thing he drinks. He likes it really cold and it tastes weird. He drinks it before I can say anything and he gets sick. His hair starts to fall out and his tail disappears. I run him into the bathroom. "Darren! Are you okay? Talk to me!" He began to have seizures and his body was drastically changing. He was lying there, human but okay. I didn't get what I had just seen. My eyes were like the size of dinner plates. Daxter walks over and knocks on the door, "Everything alright in there? Is he sick?"

"why don't you look for yourself?"

He then opens the door to see his son on the floor, naked and human. His eye begins to twitch and he runs out of there screaming. When he calms down he says, "What the hell! He's pretty! It's not fair!" Daxter drinks that stuff and hid in a supply closet. Tess took a sip of it and magically they were all humanish (we look more like elves for crying out loud). Come to find out it was dark eco in his tea. I ran to the mall really fast and brought back clothing. Things are starting to get weird around here and I don't know what to do about it.


End file.
